National Institute of Natural Heritage Confirmed to be Located in Busan... 181 Billion KRW Fully Funded by National Budget

Chosen as a Natural Treasure Spot, Eulsukdo

The location of the National Institute of Natural Heritage, which is being promoted for establishment by the Cultural Heritage Administration (formerly the Cultural Heritage Administration), has been selected as Busan.

The Nakdong River Management Headquarters of Busan City announced on the 31st that the National Institute of Natural Heritage construction project was selected as a preliminary feasibility study project by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, confirming the attraction of the National Institute of Natural Heritage to Busan.

The National Institute of Natural Heritage is the only specialized national institution in Korea that integrates natural heritage such as natural monuments and scenic sites for professional research, exhibition, and management.

Comprehensive facilities capable of exhibiting and storing natural heritage, including storage facilities, exhibition halls, and research buildings, are planned to be built here.

The total project cost is 181 billion KRW from the national budget, with a scale of four floors above ground and a total floor area of 36,654㎡. With the selection as a preliminary feasibility study project, the construction site was finalized to an 80,000㎡ area around Eulsukdo in the Nakdong River estuary. As a national institution, the entire construction and operation costs will be covered by the national budget.

This achievement in attracting the project is the result of Busan City's continuous efforts since 2016 to attract the National Institute of Natural Heritage to Busan.

Busan City persuaded the Cultural Heritage Administration that Eulsukdo, the largest migratory bird habitat and a natural treasure in Korea, is the optimal site for the establishment of the National Institute of Natural Heritage and emphasized the justification for establishing it in Busan.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun also met with senior officials of the Cultural Heritage Administration to directly propose the attraction of the National Institute of Natural Heritage to Busan and requested organic cooperation for securing national funds by having it selected as a preliminary feasibility study project at the regional budget policy council involving both ruling and opposition parties.

If the National Institute of Natural Heritage construction project passes the preliminary feasibility study next year, the Cultural Heritage Administration plans to establish the related basic plan in 2026 and begin full-scale construction aiming for opening in 2030.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan said, “Busan has taken a step forward as a global city of culture and arts. This will also contribute to realizing national balanced development by dispersing cultural facilities concentrated in the metropolitan area to other regions,” adding, “The National Institute of Natural Heritage is expected to harmonize with the natural ecological environment of Eulsukdo, the largest migratory bird habitat in Korea, becoming a landmark representing the natural history of the Korean Peninsula and a core infrastructure for eco-tourism.”

Location map of the National Natural Heritage Center planned to be established in Busan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.